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Salt is the only mineral that we
eat as a food and is an essential nutrient and universal ingredient.
Traditional artisan methods
At one time all salt was produced by traditional artisan
methods that included solar evaporation, boiling brine or mining from
deposits. Salt was a rare and valuable
treasure that was even used as currency.
From the mid nineteenth century industrial methods of producing salt
reduced not only the availability of natural salt but also its appreciation. However, in the last few decades there has
been an upsurge in the use of artisan salts not just to season a dish but to
consider the “terroir” or “meroir” of a particular salt that specifically
enhances a particular dish. We call this
“salting mindfully”, a term that we have borrowed from our friend, Mark
Bitterman, Master Selmelier. We will
speak more about Mark and his work a little latter.
Different styles,
grinds, colors, flavors and nuances
Avanti Savoia offers an assortment of more than 20 various
salts from around the world which we usually just refer to as gourmet finishing
salts. Different styles, grinds, colors, flavors and nuances have been a
delight for the Avanti chefs to experiment with in our cooking school, La
Cucina. It was also fun and interesting
for us to offer a program recently on matching salts, foods and wine for the
state convention of the Tennessee Viticultural and Enological Society. www.tvos.org
Grape growing and
wine making
The TVOS (of which I am a member) was organized in 1973 is a
group of private citizens who conduct and promote the art and science of grape
growing (viticulture) and wine making (oenology). The first time I was invited to stage a
demonstration for these folks was 20 years ago in 1993 and with my interest in
regional foods and wines the society and I obviously shared much common ground.
This gathering also included an award
ceremony for the group’s amateur wine competition in which I participate as a
judge.
The following is a
brief description of the salt program that we presented.
Sun, wind, and seawater join
forces in the famous salt ponds of Guérande to produce the delicate Fleurde Sel ("flower of salt"). The fine, light sea salt crystals
are coveted by gourmands around the world for their subtle flavor and high
concentration of minerals. Regarded as the "caviar of sea salts,"
this premium finishing salt will enhance the individual flavors in any dish you
prepare. We sampled it with a classic French salt tasting combination: slices of bread spread with unsalted
butter, and fresh radishes sprinkled with Fleur
de Sel. This was paired with Mountain Valley Vineyard’s “Sonata” Sparkling
Wine.
It is the utter simplicity of the next classic tasting
combination that contains its appeal. Bread drizzled with Vantera Extra Virgin Olive Oil
and seasoned with Salish Alder Wood Smoked Sea Salt. This
distinctive salt is named for the indigenous people
who first inhabited Washington
State's Puget
Sound. The salt crystals are slow-smoked over native Northwest Red
Alder wood, the same trees used for centuries to smoke salmon. This artisan salt is a surefire seasoning
favorite for finishing any dish prepared on the grill. Vantera is a blend of Ortice, Leccino and Raciopella olives from the Campania
region of Italy.
The succulent vegetal blend of grass and green tomato flawlessly balances the
bitter and spicy overtones producing a lightly spicy after taste in this
distinctive golden-yellow oil. Our wine for this tasting was Hillside Winery’s Red Zinfandel.
A slice of Honey Crisp apple sprinkled with Alaea Hawaiian Sea Salt gives us the opportunity to experience
the clean combination of crisp, sweet and salty. A touch of Alaea- red baked volcanic clay - gives
this natural sea salt its distinctive red color, adds a healthy dose of iron
oxide, and seals in moisture. Traditionally this earthy artisan salt is used as
a culinary seasoning, preservative, and in native healing and cleansing
rituals. Although a little “outside of
the box” we decided that Mountain
Valley’s Rhubarb Wine created a provocative combination.
Mark Bitterman
This really was a fun event and
was well received by the participants.
The opportunity to actually match food, salt and wine was most appealing
to our sense of creativity. We were
greatly assisted by Mark Bitterman’s gorgeous cookbook, Salted. Mark is Selmelier
of The Meadow, an artisanal-product boutique. I had the opportunity to
meet Mark at another event that we had both been invited to as presenters. Mark with his salts and me with our Avanti
Extra Virgin Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars.
We had a great time combining our products for our own edification.
If you enjoyed this post and should you be interested in purchasing Mark Bitterman's book, Salted, please feel free to use the link below. We do make a small commission from Amazon.
